Access control systems may use one or more authentication factors to verify an individual's identity. For example, authentication factors may include “something-you-know,” “something-you-have,” and “something-you-are.” Some access control systems may require elements from two or three of these categories to provide two- or three-factor authentication.
Biometrics may provide the “something-you-are” factor used for identification and authentication. Biometrics can be coupled with other categories of factors, such as “something-you-have” and “something-you-know,” to achieve two- and three-factor authentication when greater assurance is required than a single factor can provide. Biometric traits may include, for example, biological (e.g., fingerprint, iris, hand geometry, etc.) and behavioral (e.g., gait, gesture, keystroke dynamics, etc.) characteristics that reliably distinguish one person from another.
As the availability and use of inexpensive mobile computing devices becomes more widespread, information security and privacy are critical to providing assurance that users of internet-based systems are protected. However, few applications and interfaces take into account the unique problem of information security and privacy in regard to use by the elderly and disabled, especially in view of the numerosity and complexity of passwords in today's internet-based systems. For example, people who suffer from a cognitive or physical disorder can have difficulty correctly entering a Personal Identification Number (“PIN”) on a keyboard or recalling the correct sequence of letters in a password. The reliance on services provided through cloud and web-based systems over unsecured public networks exposes the population, especially by the elderly and disabled, to increased security risk. This risk is most evident in the field of telemedicine, which relies on the use of telecommunications to remotely provide medical information and services and to securely and reliably transfer medical information and services from one place to another.